Catherine Iino

In Killingworth, CT, the rhubarb should be ready to start harvesting in another couple of weeks; it's just starting to leaf out. I'm betting the price will come down soon.

Does anyone know the origin of the tradition of having hard-boiled eggs as part of the seder? Every year we puzzle over this, since they're not mentioned in the Haggadah (at least the ones we use).

Does anyone know of a source for Mara des bois plants or seeds in the United States?

Thank you. You know, I searched the site before I posted, figuring this had to have come up before, but I didn't turn up the two previous threads. So thanks for your patience, too.

In her terrific foodblog, Wendy DeBord mentioned handwashing bowls dozens of times a day. From the sublime to the ridiculous: I have a very mundane question. How do you professional chefs keep their hands from drying out? I'm just an ardent amateur, but in the winter, my hands get so dry from the frequent rinsing of produce, cleaning pots, kneading dough, and so forth that they crack painfully. I know it's from the cooking and baking because if I go on vacation for a couple of weeks, they heal nicely. I haven't found a hand cream or a regimen that prevents this. I'd be really grateful for advice, even though spring is here.

I have in some notes that when Dorie Greenspan first posted the warning about the recipe and the correction in the French edition, she also said that the milk quantity was cut to 700 ml, and the chocolate to 180 gr. I'm sorry; I'm too tired to do the math right now, but maybe those proportions will work.

Thanks to McDuff and Foodman for the responses. I was going to reply that we apparently did not have a reputable supermarket in the vicinity, but I went back and scoured the (yes, small) Passover section and found it. Lexy, I think the potato starch is supposed to keep the cake moist and tender. That's why I thought cornstarch might work as a replacement. I'll let you know.

I haven't been able to find potato starch for the cocoa cake recipe. Can I substitute cornstarch or something else? Thanks in advance for any advice.

I tried Patricia Austin's bran muffin recipe and it's very good. I substituted yogurt whey and a bit of dried milk for the buttermilk, but I don't think that made much difference in flavor. Also I did not have any dates in the house, so I used extra raisins. I might cut the sugar a tiny bit next time, but these were really moist and almost sticky.

Two of Swiss Chef's "faux pas" actually cancel each other out: the chive flower garnish nicely picks up the flowers around the border of the china. I don't know whether that was intentional, but it's a nice touch.